Thursday, April 19, 2012

Victoria Lenoirre's Review of April LEA Full Sim Series: One Fool's Uncharted Empire by Athena Bedrosian

Hi all! This wonderful month of April, there is One Fool's Uncharted Empire at the LEA Full Sim by Athena Bedrosian. I have written my review and included my interview with her. Thank you, Athena! It is a fantastically designed sim this month.

At the landing area, you're surrounded by pillars arranged in a circular pattern. On your left and right you should see green rocks on the rocky terrain....those are stepping stones that you can follow. I took the path on the left first. The left path led me to the Cistern of dreams.

Cistern of Dreams

Hall of ghosts looked like a temple from the outside. Inside are black and white photos of dead dictators like Stalin and Hitler, as well as photos of immigrants.

Walking past the Hall of ghosts you should see more stepping stones. You'll have to walk up a steep hill. And then you come upon a large brick circle, the "plain of cause and effect." Upon it are three newspapers. One is written in German, while the other two are in English.

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Plain of Cause and Effect

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Just past the "plain" are some pointy structures that look like teeth. As I walked through them I saw text in chat and it went like this:

[16:42] I ask myself: : What shoud I do?
[16:42] I ask myself: : What shoud I do?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Was I right?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Was I right?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Was I right?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Why did I do that?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Why did I do that?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Why did I do that?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Am I headed in the right direction?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Am I headed in the right direction?
[16:42] I ask myself: : Am I headed in the right direction?
[16:43] I ask myself: : Where is my life going?
[16:43] I ask myself: : What shoud I do?
[16:43] I ask myself: : Was I right?
[16:43] I ask myself: : Why did I do that?
[16:43] I ask myself: : Am I headed in the right direction?

Then in front of you are white steps, these lead to a structure called Celestia.

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Celestia

And now on to my sweet interview with Athena:

You describe your creation as being "about one's internal kingdom, the territory he/she inhabits and

treads daily. It is not necessarily a complete catalog, but tries to hit the highlights" Could you explain this

concept a little more?

AB: Here I'm speaking of the landscape one inhabits in his/her mind, operates from, and uses to interpret what is seen.

You mention that this body of work is now a "catalog of internal concepts"....what are some of those

internal concepts that are in it?

﻿AB: It seems to me we all view the worlds both internal and external from the matrix of our perceptions, memories, dreams, thoughts and wishes.

Why is the fellow who lives in this empire a fool?

AB:We are all fools, waking each morning to step off the symbolic cliff into a new day, carrying our bundles of stuff, and accompanied by our instincts for self-preservation. Another way to look at the concept of the Fool is as an individual journeying into consciousness of self.

Here's a picture of the Rider-Waite-Smith representation of the Fool:

Why is it uncharted? Is it because he's afraid to step out of his comfort zone?

AB:While each of us lives in her/his own empire (or landscape), that empire has yet to be mapped or charted. We are each essentially unknowns.

You have old photos of dictators in the hall of ghosts? So the hall is a hall of oppression and past

suffering? On the wall to the right of the texture change display, you have pics of families and children? Who are they?

AB:As the front of the building states “That which is past, but haunts us.” The building houses memories. I tried to choose pictures of family and childhood from a variety of cultures, because SecondLife is multicultural. The images are all meant to evoke memories, no social comment is intended. Although now I realize that showing dictators and war is in itself a social comment.

At the plain of effect and consequence you have 3 newspapers. One is in German, what does that say?Another paper is showing the headline about a man on the moon. Do you feel that that has impacted our world in a positive or negative way? If so, why do you think that?

AB:There are only reports of actions and effects here because cause-and-effect takes place in the "real"

world. We may battle mentally and picture dire consequences, but it is not real until we make it so.

The newspapers are representative of second-hand cause and effect. The mind is not the field of action,although it takes effect when we choose to act. Again I chose topics that people might respond (or react)

Needless to say, this is a tricky concept. Does an effect begin when it is perceivable by others or when

the decision is made to act? Does an effect when we choose to act. Again I chose topics that people might respond (or react) to.

Behind the plain are jagged rocks? What exactly are they? Adding the script to that area is a nice touch, the script that asks those thought-provoking, yet simple questions that we all ask ourselves at one time or another.

AB: I call them the needles. There are elements of rites of passage in this area -- one must leave behind self-questioning and cross the river of forgetfulness to get to Celestia at the top of the steps. When we meditate or daydream the mind is cleared of obstacles and we roam free of the worldly ties that bind.

Behind the rocks are steps leading up to a pavilion that sits higher up than the plain. Does this symbolize

rising above the past, dreams, and hate and agression?

AB: Yes, it does symbolize rising above that which entangles us. It is a place of joy and has been attained by leaving the problems and issues of daily life behind for the moment.

There's a tall tree inside the pavilion, Celestia, why?

AB: I was thinking of the tree of life when I included it.

Why is your water underlayer a dark green/jade color?

AB: Pure luck. The ground plane is a rust color.

I really like the greenish water color. To me, it's more of a jade tone. Jade symbolizes luck in the ancient Chinese culture.

At first glance, this sim does not seem to be much. There is a lot of open space. But here, it is little details that make all the difference. A lot of hidden and deep meaning is in everything Athena put into this full sim exhibition. My favorite part of the sim would have to be the Plain of Cause and Effect and the needles. It is a wide, open area that symbolizes to me, that we are free to choose our course in life...unrestrained by the limits of society or anyone else.I urge you all to come visit LEA6, if you haven't already. Come see this phenomenal body of work here.